The story behind SRSLY Vegan
Pure Veg-Loving Energy
Srsly Vegan is a home for plant-based cooking in all its forms. From everyday weeknight dinners to celebratory desserts, from deeply personal recipes to vegan cooking tips we bring together a growing collection of vegan and plant-based recipes from our founders, our readers, and other veg-loving contributors that highlight creativity, culture, and flavor.
The People Behind the Recipes
Lauren Lester
Founder & Editor
Lauren leads recipe development, editorial direction, and the day-to-day work behind Srsly Vegan. Her plant-based cooking draws on Appalachian roots with a global flair, shaped by a decade in food media and a shift to vegan cooking in 2021. She also builds digital systems for mission-driven organizations and serves on the AMA PDX board.
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Future Social Media Manager
This role will help shape how we share the recipes, stories, and values that shape Srsly Vegan across digital channels. We’re looking for the right creative person to take it on, is that you? Let us know!
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Future Contributor
This space is held for a future contributor who will bring their own perspective and plant-forward cooking to the table. Their work will live here soon.
Veg-Loving Human, Loading…
Future Contributor
This space is held for a future contributor who will bring their own perspective and plant-forward cooking to the table. Their work will live here soon.
Veg-Loving Human, Loading…
Future Contributor
This space is held for a future contributor who will bring their own perspective and plant-forward cooking to the table. Their work will live here soon.
Our Approach
How we cook, write, and share food: always plant-based, rooted in flavor, and grounded in clear, tested recipes credited to their creators.
100% vegan
Every recipe on Srsly Vegan is fully vegan. No exceptions, no fine print. We focus on food that supports animals, people, and the planet while keeping flavor and creativity at the center of the plate.
Flavor leads
From everyday staples to globally inspired dishes, every recipe starts with taste. We build food that’s bold, thoughtful, and grounded in the idea that plant-based cooking should never feel limited.
Tested
Each recipe is tested, written with clarity, and credited to its creator. Whether from our core team or the wider vegan community, we honor the work behind the food and make sure it’s ready for your kitchen.
A Note From the Editor
Lauren Lester has spent over a decade building recipe platforms and publishing work that has reached millions of kitchens worldwide. Read more about her story below.
Srsly Vegan started after I finally admitted that taking a break from food media only made me want to get back in the kitchen — just with a clearer point of view and far kinder snacks. I’ve spent more than a decade building recipe platforms, including Wicked Spatula (2011) and Cast Iron Keto (2017), projects that grew into nationally recognized brands, a cookbook, and more published recipes than I care to count. Later came Healthful Creative, where our team produced hundreds of recipe packages for global publishers and brands.
I went vegan in 2021, and shifted entirely to plant-based work, creating more than 300 vegan recipes through HC before closing the agency in 2024 with WS and CIK being acquired by investors in 2019 and 2023 respectively. After stepping away long enough to miss the chaos, I’m back with Srsly Vegan — a plant-based recipe hub that brings together my recipes and the work of chefs, recipe developers, and home cooks from across the wider plant-based community.
Srsly Vegan exists to show just how much range there is in vegan food: flavor, culture, creativity, and plenty of recipes that don’t require a culinary degree or a second mortgage to make. We welcome contributors whose recipes add new perspectives to the table. Have something you’d like to share? View our submission guidelines.
